Braiding-machine.



P. BUTLER.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

AIYLIGATION FILED Nov. ze, 1897.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

LQQLD 5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. BUTLER.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

v APPLICATION FILED NOVJZB, 1897. 1?@9 312)@50 Patented. Mar. 31, 1914.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P. BUTLER.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED Nov. 2e, 1897.

Patntd Mar. 31, 1914.

P'. BUTLER.

BEAIDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION BILBD Nov.26,1897. v

Patented Mar. 3l, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET P. BUTLER.

BRAIDING MAGHINB. APPLIOA'HON FILED Nov. 26, 1897.

. ,`091,805 1 Patented Mar. 31, 1914 n v y 4 s sums-SHEET 5.

PAUL BUTLER, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

BRAIDING-MACHINE.

Application filed November 26, 1897.

To all whom, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, PAUL BUTLER, of Lowell, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Braiding-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with theV accompanying drawings., is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

rlhis invention has for its object to simplify the construction of that class of braiding machines employed in the manufacture of cords, ropes, etc.

.ln accordance with my invention the carriers of flier shape containing the cops or spindles of twine are moved in a path bctween a top and bottom plate, certain carrier-plates adjacent the said top and bottom plates constituting bearings for the journals of the carriers, each carrier having two journals one above and the other below the cop or spool containing lthe twine to be made into a coil or rope.

By supporting each carrier near its upper as well as near its lower end the movements of the carriers are steadier and more uniform than if supported at the lower end only, and any desired tension may be put upon the twine without interfering with the proper working thereof; and also thereby the life of the carriers is much increased, larger and longer bobbins may be used, and the machine is given increased capacity.

The carrier plates are provided with similar switches or automatic dogs, to move the carriers alternately into and out o-f the carrier plates and thereby the strain on the carriers is even at top and bottom; the switches themselves also constitute a novel feature of my invention.

The details of construction of my improved braiding machine will be more fully understood from the following description, and the particular features of novelty thereof will be pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, illustrative o-f a preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure l is a side elevation of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, a portion of the winding mechanism being omitted. Fig. 2 is a detail of the stop motion plate; Figs. 3 and 4. are fragmentary views in horizontal section, showing similar portions of the top plate and upper carrier Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31,191@

serial No. 659,888.

plates illustrating successive positions respectively of the switches and carriers with their contained bobbins. Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary horizontal sectional views showing modified forms of switches. Fig. 7 is a ho-rizontal section taken substantially on the line 7 7, Fig. 1. Fig. 8, is a vertical section taken on the line 8-8, Fig. 4. Fig. 9 is a central vertical section of a bobbin and bobbin carrier, also showing the tension device in elevation. Fig. l0, is an enlarged central vert-ical section of the tension device. Fig. 1l is a top plan view thereof. Fig. l1al a detail of the stop pin; Fig. l2 is a central verticalsection taken on the line 12-l2, Fig. 2, showing the take-up and tension regulator in side elevation. Fig. 13 is a vertical section on the line 13-13, Fig. 2, looking toward the left.

The frame A, herein shown as a skeleton frame comprising four vertical bars a and a base a, is supported on a suitable standard A', having its legs a2 secured to the floor, and carries at its upper end and at its lower end, similar top and bottom rings B, B, said rings having like series of notches b and flanges b, the former of which are adapted to receive at the proper times the journals of the carriers and retain them while the journais of other carriers are engaged by carrier plates to be described.

Vithin the stationary rings B, B', of the frame A, is a central vertical shaft C having secured thereto similar top and bottom .plates D, D, respectively, in the planes of said top and -bottom rings, said plates being guided by and having bearings against the inner edges of the flanges of said respective rings. The top and bottom plates D, D, are provided with a plurality of recesses herein shown as four in number, in which are mounted carrier plates E, each fixed on a shaft e, as clearly shown in Fig. 8, and

provided with peripheral flanges c2, Fig. 3,.'

adapted to rest on corresponding flanges d, provided as bearings therefor on the top and bottom plates respectively.

The carrier plates are herein shown as having three `equi-distant recesses e30, see

Figs. 3 and 4, adapted to receive the journals f, f', of the bobbin carriers F, see Fig. 8.

Y The shaft e has a journal bearing at g, g', in a spider' G, Figs. 7 and 8, fast on the cent-ral shaft C, and between these bearings a toothed pinion e? is fixed on the shaft by suitable means, as by a pin c", said pinion base a',

meshing with internal gear teeth a3 on the said base also having an annular ledge a1L to steady the spider Gr. The spider Gr is provided with a bevel gear g2, secured to the underside thereof in mesh with a driving pinion la., on the inner end of the driving 4 also serves to drive the winding and take-up mechanism by means of a pinion k in mesh with the gear g2, and a pinion c in mesh with a bevel gear k2 at the inner end Vof a vertical shaft 7c3 provided with a worm lc* at its upper end, geared to opposite worm wheels la, k6, on parallel horizontal shafts 7c?, los, having suitable bearings at the top of the machine, Fig. 2, in a bracket A2, Fig. 1.

From the above descript-ion it will be evident that rotat-ion of the drive shaft. h serves to rotate the central vertical shaft C and thereby correspondingly rotate the top and bottom plates D, D, and spider G. The toothed pinions e3 are rot-ated by engagement of said pinions with the teeth a3, as the bobbin carriers are revolved by the rotation of the spider Gr, and the top and bottom plates D, D.

In order that the carrier plates may pick up the proper bobbins at the proper intervals, my machine being herein shown as arranged to pick up the bobbins alternately, I have provided' the top and bott-om plates D, D', with switches fm., similarly arranged on the respective plates, said switches being shown in Figs. 2-4 as pivoted at m', the pivots having bearings in the plates themselves and in journal arms on? removably secured for convenience by bolts ma in channels Z formed between opposite ribs d2, d,

on the plate. The switches m, as shown in Figs. 2-4, are in the form of dogs, having three arms m4, mi", m, the latte-r engaging stops mai The operation of these switches will be readily understood from Figs. 3 and 4, showing successive positions assumed thereby in the forward rotation of the plates, the relative direction of rotation of the top l and bottom lates and the carrier plates being indicate by the arrows.

Viewing Fig. 3, it will be observed that the switch m is held raised by the engagement of the bobbin carrier 1 with its arm me, so that the bobbin carrier 2, which is in one of the notches b of the ring B cannot be engaged by the arm m4 of said switch as the plate D moves the latter toward said bobbin carrier 2; accordingly the switch is carried over said carrier 2, and the latter striking against the arm m5 thereof turns the switch into the position shown in Fig. 4, in which position the switch is brought to rest by the engagement of the arm m4 with the ring B, the bobbin carrier 1 in the meantime having been carried' around by the carrier plate as there shown. The switch in question is now in position t0 catch bobbin 3, and prevent its remaining in the ring B, causing `it to be carried around by the rotation of the carrier plate E. Similar switches m7 are reversely placed opposite the switches m in order to perform the same oiiices last described, in case it is desired to run the machine in the opposite direct-ion to that indicated by the arrows.

Instead of the three armed switches shown in Figs. 24, two armed switches may be used as shown in Fig. 5, where m8 designates a switch having a spring .s normally holding it in engagement with the ring B in which case a bobb-in carrier inv the position ofthe carriers in Fig. 3 would serve to press back the switch m8 against said spring and hold it away from the ring B, and in Fig. 6 where m9 designates a switch normally held by a spring s away from the ring B in which case the passage of a bobbin carrier beneath it into-the position shown in Fig. (3, would press it against said ring ready to pick up the next bobbin carrier and deliver it to the carrier plate E.

Referring to the mechanism at the upper part of the machine shown best in Figs. 1, 2, andlQ, it will be observed that the shafts it, la, are provided at their forward ends with similar take-up rolls K, K.

The strands of twine are taken respective bobbins without rotating the latter `and are led over a direction plate or spreader N on the upper end of the shaft C, where they are braided together to form a cord or rope, as shown in Fig. 12, the braid receiving a central filling strand through the perforated center n of the plate N and shaft C, the cord or rope being thence led over a guide pulley K2 tc the take-up rolls K, K', from which the cord or rope passes over a pulley block K3, and down under the lower wheel K4 of a tension regulator, said regulator having also an upper wheel Ks journaled at the free end of a lever la, pivoted for convenience on a shaft la7 and held downwardly by` a spring s2, adjustably connected to said lever by a link 71:10. The wheels K, K5 are provided with teeth similar to gear wheels so that they mesh one with another, and they also both have V-shaped grooves in their peripheries, these grooves being cui into the teeth, as shown best in Fig. 2, for the purpose of receiving the ro e. The result is that as the rope passes tween the wheels K4, K5' and in frictionalengagement therewith the positively driven wheel K4 Eings a constant pull on the rope, this pull mg t-he wheel K5 is held by its spring s2. This tension regulator serves to make the feed even in the take-up, and yet leave the latten free to act as a usual friction take-up.

From the tension regulator the cord passes over and around aI direction wheel K and thence over pulley K7, and thence down to the winding drum or reel I).

The'reel P is driven by an endless cable p which passes -over a sheave p at one end of the reel and thence over a double groove pulley 712 on the shaft los. 798 is a finger slidably mounted on the rod p9 and by which the cord is guided as it is wound on the drum. The novel features of this reel have been made the subject of another Patent No. 998,231, dated July 18, 1911, vthe application for which was divided out from this case, and as no claim is-herein made to the reel, I do not deem it necessary to further describe the latter.

The twine is taken centrally from the bobbins without rotat-ing the latter. Each bobbin is sustained by a bobbin-carrier which consists of top and bottom ends f4, f5 connected by opposite arms f6. The ends carry upper and lower journals f, f', and the former journal f is provided with a central twine passage f3 through which the twine is led to the tension device comprising a fric* tion plate t, a pivotally-mounted tension member t which is actcd ,on by a spring t. The twine is taken from the passage f3 and is carried between the friction platet and the tension member t and thence around the stop pin a having a groove u therein to receive the cord, and thence, around a post f2 projecting from the bobbin carrier,r and thence through thel pig-tail t4.

The above-described bobbin carrier is not herein claimed as it has been made the subject of another Patent No. 1,045,254, dated November 26, 1912. Y

The groove a in the stop motion pin u is suflicientto cause the latter to be held in raised position so lonfr as the twine is under tension, but if theI twine should accidentally break in passing from the bobbin thereto,

the pin u will be permitted to drop until the collar'ul" meets the plate t, which leaves the lower end of said pin in position to contact with a suitable projection 50 from a plate u2, which may be either the whole or part of a circle, said plate, herein shown fully in Fig. 2, and only partially in Fig. 2, being of segmental form, and it is 'of a length sufcient to present three .like projections 50, that number of projections being necessary to adapt it to coperate with a machine having twelve carriers, but these projections will vary as the number of carriers are increased, there being one such projection for each notch of a carrier plate.

The plate u2 is herein shown as secured to the top ring B by bolts a3 passing through elongated slots a4, said plate'being normally held in the position, Fig. 2, by a spring s4 engaging a pin a5 on the ring and a pin u on the p late. This plate is provided at its forward end with a lug uT normally engaging a catch u8 secured to the shipper lever aw; so that when this catch is released by the forward movement of the plate due to contact therewith of a drop pin u, the shipper lever is released and at once moves by its spring 85 to shift the driving belt from the fast pulley as to the loose pulley a.

In the operation of the machine it will be assumed that the t-op and bottom plates and the carrier plates therein rotate in the direction of the arrows Figs. 3 and 4, and it will be seen that each of the carrier plates contains in its notches, the journals of two carriers, and that the ring B, contains a carrier in one of its notches between the different carrier plates, and that, viewing Fig. 2, the arms m4 of the switches m are in their outermost positions adjacent the ring B, it being understood that all the corresponding parts occupy precisely the same positions at the lower ends of the bobbin carriers. As the spider G is rotated by the engagement of the pinion la, with the gear g2 on the spider, the shafts .e of the bobbin carriers will be rotated by the engagement of their pinions c3 with the stationary gear or rack ai' as the top and bottom plates rotate with their shaft C, so that the said carrier plates by the aid of the said switches will engage the ljournals of the carriers immediately ahead of them, and will carry the said carriers with a planetary motion about the shafts c, at the saine time putting back again in the next forward notch of the rings B, B', the other carrier contained in the notches 'of the carrier plate, and this latter carrier will be skipped by the switch as the latter progresses, said switch m being then held in its innermost 'position as shown in Fig. 3, ready to be shifted again to its original position, as soon as the parts progress to the position shown in F ig. 4; this cycle of movements being continued uniformly as the shaft C rotates, the resultl being that each switch picks up every alternate bobbin, each succeeding switch picking up those bobbins which the preceding switch left.

I have herein shown vthe rings B, B', as provided with a series of 12 notches b, and each carrier plate as having three notches adapted to handle twelve carriers, but it is obvious that any desired number of carriers may be placed in a machine of the class described. The carrier plates and rings have a correspondingly greater or less number of notches, according to the number of carriers to be used; and so also, the distance apart of the bottom and top plates may be more or less according to the length of the cop or bobbin which it is desired to use in a carrier.

No undue strain is brought upon the carrier by reason of any increase in length thereof, for the reason that the carrier is positively moved both at its top and bottom ends, its lifebeing thereby prolonged and its operation facilitated. The-tension regula-tor is adjusted by means of the link 101, according to the size and kind of rope being braided. In case a thread should 'break it will thereby permit the pin u to drop into engagement with the stop motion plate'uz, releasing the catch u8 and shipper al to stop the machine. p y

I have already suggested three forms of switches and I Wish it understood 'that these and many other variations in form and changes in vconstruction and relation of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and I therefore do not limit the latter in any respect otherwise than as expressed in the claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to, secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a braiding machine, the combinationv with top and bottom connected plates, of a central shaft on which said plates are mounted, means to rot-ate said shaft, a plurality of bobbin carriers, means associated @with each of said top and bottom plates to.

carry said bobbin carriers about in the machine, and upper and lower sets ofhorizontally swinging bobbin carrier operated switches sustained by said upper and lower plates, respectively, and arranged to act positively and simultaneouslyv on the oppo-` site ends of said'carriers thereby to direct the latter' into the required position.

2. In a braiding machine, the combination with fixed top'and bottom rings having notches, of an lannular-gear, a central vertical shaft, concentrip top and bottom plates fixed to said shaft andy situated within said pings, means to rotate said shaft and thereby the plates in unison, notched 'carrier plates between said plates and rings, .said carrier plates having pinions in engagement with, said annular gear, means to support said carrier plates, a plurality of bobbin carriers, each extending from the top plate to t-he bottom plate and adapted to be held in said notches, and bobbin-carrier-operated switches sustained by said top and bottom plates and arranged to swing horizontally into the; path of said bobbin carriers and cooperating with said top and bottom plates to cause saidbobbin carriers to Islide along the switches from the notches of said rings to the notches of the carrier plates in desired order. l

3. In a-I'nachine of the class described, a bobbin carrier, a shipping lever, holding means normally retaining said Shipping lever in inoperaive position, a friction plate carried by said bobbin carrier, a tension device movab'le toward said late, and a stop motion pin arranged to sfide vertically in said friction plate, the twine being led between said tension device and friction plate and wrapped around said pin for normally holding the pin in raised position, slackening of the twine permittino the pin to drop into engagement with said holding means for' operating said shipping lever to stop the machine, substantially as described. y

4. In a braiding machine, the combination with a central vertical shaft, of top and bottom plates sustained thereby, means to rotate the shaft, a plurality of carrier plates rotatably sustained by each of the top and bottom plates, a plurality of bobbin-carriers engaged and moved about by said top and bottom carrier plates, and

an upper set of horizontally-swinging switches sustained 'by the top plate, and a lower set of horizontally-swinging switches sustained by the bottom plate, all of said switches being constructed to be actuated by the bobbin carriers and operating to direct the bobbin carriers into required position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specication, 1n the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PAUL BUTLER. fitnesses GEO. H. MAXWELL,

JOHN C. EDWARDS. 

